


All Better

by RoboFoxtrot



Category: Chicago Med, Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Childhood Memories, Humor, Hurt Jay Halstead, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jay Halstead Whump, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Protective Will Halstead, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoboFoxtrot/pseuds/RoboFoxtrot
Summary: A series of one-shots between Jay and Will featuring a lot Jay whump, because I love to make Jay suffer.Tags will be added with each one shot.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 132





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot features Will having to sit by Jay's beside waiting for him to recover while thinking back on their childhood.

Will had known from the age of six that he'd grow up to be a doctor. He could pinpoint the exact moment the idea was planted in his head. It was one of his fondest memories and never failed to make him smile. Sometimes, when he was stressed, or sad Will would think back on it and almost immediately feel better. Guess childhood memories had that effect.

Reaching out with his hand to tightly grip Jay's, Will let out a shuddering breath. Tears blurred his vision as he tried to recall those memories up now. Anything to help reconcile the image of his brother's prone and broken body laying before him. Anything to help drown out the continuous beeping of the heart monitor in the corner. He supposed that it should grant him a small amount of comfort but unfortunately all it did was remind how much of a failure he was as a brother.

So instead, he imagined the beeping turning into the sound of Jay's laughter, echoing down the hallway of their childhood home. His small and unsteady feet trying their hardest to keep up with Will as they ran around the furniture.

At the respective ages of five and two, both brothers were bundles of boundless energy. Unfortunately for Jay, he hadn't quite developed the fine motor functions required to weave his way around all the furniture and toys without bumping into something. Will could still remember the exact feeling of horror he had, when upon turning around to gloat victoriously from atop the couch, he saw Jay trip over the edge of the rug and smack the ground with a loud thud.

Jay went chin first, sliding a few inches across the carpet. Both boys were silent for a few seconds before Jay's face scrunched up in pain and he let out a loud wail. Will frantically slid off the couch and ran towards Jay, praying their father wouldn't wake up. He had just gotten home from a graveyard shift a few hours ago and was supposed to be watching them while their mother was at a doctor's appointment, but as soon as the door had closed behind her, their father had rounded on Will. The instructions had been clear. 

"You are responsible for Jay and you will under no circumstances, wake me before my alarm goes off."

Panicking slightly, Will pulled Jay onto his lap as best he could. Jay was clutching his chin with a hand and sobbing, his face red with anger. Gently Will pulled Jay's hand away from his chin, frowning at the rug burn. 

"It's ok," Will said confidently. "I can make it better, but you have to be big like me and not cry. We don't want daddy to wake up. Can you be big like me?" Will asked.

Jay smashed his lips together tightly to keep from crying, chin quivering. He ended up looking more grumpy than brave but Will wasn't about to mention it. Slowly they stood up, Will grabbing Jay's hand and pulling him towards the bathroom. 

With great determination Will managed to help Jay climb up and sit on the edge of the tub, just like their mama did when she cleaned up Will's scrapes and cuts. Giving Jay a quick kiss on the head, Will climbed up onto the counter, grabbing all the necessary items before sliding back down onto the floor. 

"You're doing a good job," Will reminded Jay when he started to sniffle again. "Don't worry, it'll be all better soon."

Will opened the bottle of rubbing alcohol and tried to carefully pour it on the rag he held. Unfortunately it ended up spilling more onto the floor than the rag. Jay giggled slightly at the mess, laughing harder when Will stuck his tongue out at him. It was nice to hear Jay laugh, knowing he was the one that made him feel better.

"Be brave," Will said. "This is going to sting but then you get a bandaid. We even have blue ones." Holding the bandaids out for Jay, Will took advantage of the distraction they provided, and quickly dabbed the rag across Jay's rug burn, praising him so he wouldn't start crying again. Once that was done Will blew gently across the wound until it dried and applied a blue bandaid. He examined his handy work for a second before adding a bunch more, just in case.

"All bedder?" Jay asked, staring wide eyed up at Will when he was finally done.

"Mmhmm, all better." Will confirmed with a nod of satisfaction. Mama would be proud of him right now. "C'mon let's go get some popcorn and watch tv." 

Will smiled slightly to himself at the memory. Their mother had come home an hour later to find them cuddled up on the couch watching cartoons and shoving their faces with popcorn. He had been so proud of himself that day and any other time he'd needed to patch Jay up. His younger brother had been a bit of a wild child, always getting himself hurt trying to do dangerous things.

After that day though, Jay wanted to do everything Will did, looking up to Will like he was a hero. Will wished he could have lived up to Jay's expectations, been the hero he needed. He didn't feel like a hero much right now, he just felt like a failure. 

"It's not your fault." Connor's voice sounded from the doorway. 

"You don't know what you're talking about." Will snapped back, purposely refusing to look at the other man. His grip on Jay's hand tightened when he heard Connor make his way into the room, standing at the edge of the bed.

"I do actually, because no matter how hard you try you can't control someone else's actions. You didn't make your father push Jay down a flight of steps, just like you didn't make Jay go over there."

Snarling in anger, Will whipped around to glare at Connor. "Don't you dare try and blame Jay for this. I should have known something would happen and stopped it, that's my job as his brother. I'm supposed to protect him."

Connor held his hands up placatingly, "I'm not blaming him and I'm not blaming you, no matter how much you think you deserve it. You had no idea something like this could happen. Your father, the one who pushed him, didn't even know. It was pure bad luck Jay fell the way he did."

Will shook his head, "Doesn't change anything, I knew that one day our dad would go too far." He turned back to face Jay. "Dad was already pissed that he was being moved into a new place, I shouldn't have let Jay go help him alone. I can't make this better. I can't fix the fact that our father almost killed him."

"I know I'm not going to be able to change your mind on that but I'm sure as hell, that your brother is going to be pissed when he wakes up and sees you like this." Connor forced Will to look at him. "You can't go back in time and stop this from happening, but if you want to help your brother then you can stop wallowing in self guilt. The only thing that can come from that is hurting yourself and Jay because lord knows, he is exactly like you. He sees you suffering and he will feel just as guilty as you do now and he sure as hell doesn't need that extra stress."

Connor didn't want to be mean to Will right now but no one was doing anything and he couldn't just sit back and allow Will to self destruct. They may have their arguments but Will was still his friend and what else are friends for, then to be there, lending a helping hand to pull you back onto your feet when you need it most. Right now, Will definitely needed that hand.

As much as Will wanted to argue that he should be suffering alone with Jay, he knew Connnor was right. Jay would spot his guilt from a mile away and ignore his own health just to ease Will's suffering. They were too much alike for comfort sometimes. "I need him to be alright." 

"He will be," Connor said confidently, even though he knew better. "He is already showing remarkable improvement from when he was brought in. The swelling around his brain has reduced to a comfortable enough level for them to remove the drain later tonight. You might be stubborn as hell but I'm pretty sure Jay has you trumped there. No way in hell he'll let this take him out."

Will let out a weak laugh. "Your right. That pains me to say, by the way."

"I generally am," Connor said, feeling slightly better now that Will seemed to be coming out of his funk. "I'll be back to check up on both of you later." He gave Will a comforting pat on the back before making his way out of the room, stopping when he heard Will call his name.

"Thank you," Will said. "I needed to hear that." Connor nodded his head, leaving as quietly as he arrived.

Will turned back to his brother, focusing all his attention on the injured man. He leaned in, whispering in Jay's ear, "I promise you that no matter what happens, I'm always going to be there for you. I know I wasn't there for you after I left for college but I'll never leave you again. You just have to come back to me." Will choked out the last sentence, bowing his head in prayer. 

A few hours passed until Jay was taken to have the drain removed. Will stood in the hallway watching them take his little brother away. He knew it would be a while before they returned so he found a spot where his co-workers couldn't find him easily. Natalie had been eyeing him with great concern and he knew she wanted to talk to him but right now he just needed a moment alone, to gather his thoughts before Jay came back. Finding an empty room to hole up in, Will sunk down with his head between his knees, allowing his mind to wander to better times again. A time when he had been there to protect Jay.

Will had never been one for violence, that was more Jay's area, even for someone who came from Canary Ville. Sure, he knew how to throw a swing or two but he'd rather avoid it if he could. Unfortunately it was something the bullies in his grade had noticed rather quickly. They'd throw a punch once or twice, maybe say some rude things, but it never really bothered him that much. Most of it never even phased him enough for more than a passing thought.

Jay on the other hand took great offense to it when he found out, which wasn't until his freshman year and Will's senior year. It was just dumb luck Will had been walking by when he was close enough to hear Jay confront one of his bullies. Now Jay, unlike his older brother, loved to get into fights. He might not have been large in size, his growth spurt came a little late in the height department, but he didn't take shit from anybody and loved to have a chance to prove himself. So of course when he decided to take care of the people messing with his older brother he had to confront the largest one of the bunch. A large jock who looked like he might be taking steroids.

Will had heard Jay's yelp as he went sprawling to the ground, struggling to stand back up when the jock's foot kicked him in the side. He went back down to the ground, wind knocked out of him. Will's entire body seemed to burn with anger and all he could think about was beating the living hell out of the asshole attacking his brother. At the time he was unaware that Jay had started the fight, not that it would have mattered, and simply assumed the jock had decided that Jay was an easy target like his brother.

"Hey!" Will shouted, dropping his things and running towards the fight. 

"Well would you look at this, your brother wants a beating too." The jock smirked down at Jay, completely ignoring Will. The smile was knocked off his face when Will spun him around delivering a swift punch to the nose. The bully howled and stumbled back, surprised that the other male had actually hit him and that it hurt so much. "You bastard! You're going to pay for that!"

"Fuck you," Will yelled, hitting him with an upper cut in the solar plexus, knocking the breath out of him. As the jock gasped for air, Will quickly punched him in the kidney and his body spasmed for a second. Blinded with anger, Will hit him again and again screaming obscenities, until someone was pulling him away.

"Will! Stop!" Jay yelled, pulling his brother away from the whimpering mess on the ground. 

Will panted heavily for a second, taking a moment to catch his breath, before noticing the large crowd that had gathered around them. 

"We gotta go before a teacher shows up," Jay urged, continuing to tug on his older brother's arm. Will allowed himself to be pulled away from glaring at the writhing mess on the ground. "That was so cool, I knew you could take him."

Will groaned at his little brother. "Did you plan this?" He wouldn't put it past the little brat, Jay was surprisingly conniving when he wanted to be. 

"Of course not," Jay said with a smirk. "We should probably skip the rest of the day. I doubt he'll rat on you but it might be better not to test it." 

Will chose not to respond but allowed Jay to lead him off campus. He watched as Jay chatted on about how cool Will was, his smile bright as could be even though he was obviously going to have a nasty black eye tomorrow, if not within the next few hours. Jay bruised easily, their mother said it was because his skin was so pale. 

They made their way to a nearby park to sit down for a few minutes, while Will examined Jay's head. "Why did he go after you?" Will finally asked. 

"Well," Jay started sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I might have started it."

"Seriously? C'mon man you're like half his size, why would you do that?" Will asked, feeling frustrated.

"Because he's an ass to you! He can't just treat you like that, someone had to stop him."  
Jay yelled, quick to defend himself. He might have miscalculated his abilities but Will showed up and everything had been fine, better than fine. "You kicked his ass, Will. Why were you letting him mess with you if you didn't have too?"

"Because it doesn't bother me and despite what dad says, fighting isn't the answer to everything." Will flopped onto his back on the grass once he was sure Jay was going to be fine. "Besides. I got lucky. I surprised him and knew enough anatomy to know where to hit him. Probably got lucky hitting the right spots too."

Cocking his head to the side, Jay looked curiously at his brother. "What do you mean? What's anatomy got to do with punching a dude."

"Hit a guy in the solar plexus you knock the breath out of them, hit them on the kidney it will kinda paralysis them with pain. At least that's what I got from the book." Will looked over at Jay staring at him in awe. "Don't give me that look, it's also really dangerous. You can seriously hurt someone and I shouldn't have done it. So don't go trying it on someone, you little maniac."

Jay smiled innocently, "Who me? I would never."

"You're a menace," Will groaned.

"I know but I'll always have you to make it all better," Jay replied with a cheeky grin.

The door to the room he was in opened, distracting Will from the memory. He looked up to see Natalie standing in the doorway, silently asking to join him. Sighing, he waved her in, patting the spot next to him.

"I'm going to be ok," Will informed her. "Just needed some time to get myself together." 

"I know." Natalie sat down next to him, reaching over to hold his hand tightly. "But if you need someone to lean on, I'm here. You might have to be strong for Jay but you don't have to be for me." 

Will gave her a watery smile, clutching her hand tighter in his. "Thank you. I might have to take you up on that when Jay starts driving me up the wall about getting back to work."

They laughed with each other before falling into a comfortable silence. Natalie broke the quiet, "They wrapped everything up a few minutes ago, they should be bringing Jay out soon. All the scans are looking good so far."

"Do you think I'll have to tell him what happened?" Will asked suddenly.

Natalie faltered for a moment before giving Will a weak smile. "You might have too, or someone else could do it. Connor or I, maybe Voight?" 

"Lord, no. Not Voight." Will shuddered. As much as Voight might care about his team, gently breaking bad news to someone was never going to be something Will could imagine him doing. Although, being a cop probably required it fairly often so he might actually be good at it. Still though, this was Will's job. "I should be the one to tell him."

"Ok." Natalie stood up, offering a hand to help pull Will up. "Should probably get back there, wouldn't want to miss your spot next to his bed. I hear it's the most wanted seat in the hospital right now."

Laughing, Will allowed Natalie to help him to his feet. "His team only dreams they could have that spot, I'm almost certain I nearly grew roots there earlier." 

The two laughed together as they made their way back to Jay's room. Seeing his brother already back in the room, Will quickly made his way to the chair beside him and grabbed his hand again. He heard Natalie get a call for an incoming trauma, so he settled down as comfortably as possible to wait out the time until Jay woke up. A few visitors came by, mostly the intelligence unit, but other than that Will was left alone with his thoughts until he finally fell asleep. 

A sharp painful yank came from Will's scalp causing him to swat the air. "Stop." The tugging continued, growing incessantly more annoying every time. Whining, Will swatted the air again in an attempt to make it stop.

"Willll, oh Willll, wake up you weirdo." Jay's voice slurred. 

Will shot straight up at the sound of his brother's voice, quickly remembering where he was. "Jay! Oh, thank god." 

Jay smiled dopely up at his brother. "They gave me the good drugs."

Will had trouble keeping his laughter at bay watching Jay act so completely out of character. "I can tell, you seem like you've been awake for awhile."

"Yup," Jay continued to smile brightly, even though he was obviously falling asleep already. "I told'em no, good drugs, but they said yes, good drugs. You think Voight is gonna be mad they gave me drugs." Jay started speaking in a whisper. "Drugs are bad."

Will couldn't keep the smile off his face, just so happy Jay seemed to be completely fine mentally. He bent his head giving the back of Jay's hand a kiss, ignoring the whines about cooties, thanking every deity out there that Jay was ok. 

"Get some more sleep," Will ordered, noticing Jay struggling to keep his eyes open. 

Jay nodded sleepily, "Everything's going to be all better?"

"Yeah, everything's going to be all better," Will promised, brushing Jay's hair gently out of his face as the younger male drifted off to sleep. If there was one thing he'd learned thinking back on his past, it was that he may not always be there to prevent Jay from getting hurt, but he sure as hell would be there after. He would never abandon Jay when he needed Will, because after all, what else are big brothers for?


	2. So Mature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my take on Jay vs the flu shot, and I figured since everything lately is goddamn sad I was going to make this full of humor! Please know this chapter is meamt to be funny! 💜💜💜

Will leaned against the counter at the nurse's station with a sigh. He was dreading the upcoming battle between him and Jay. Jay's arch nemesis, the flu shot, was due once again and it was up to Will to figure out how to give it to Jay. The last few years it had gotten steadily harder to trick Jay into getting the shot and Will was running out of ideas. He might just have to go with bribery, pizza and beer, lots of beer.

"Don't hurt yourself thinking so hard," Natalie whispered in Will's ear, making him jump in the air with a "very manly" shriek

"Don't do that!" Will gasped, clutching his chest dramatically. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

Laughing, Natalie smiled at her friend teasingly. "I heard Jay's been wandering the halls trying to avoid you right now. That time of the year again?"

"Yup," Will nodded. "Voight said he couldn't leave the building until I've given him the flu shot and Jay seems to think that means he just has to avoid me until my shift is over, and then he can leave." 

A look of confusion crossed Natalie's face. "But that doesn't make sense."

"It does to Jay and unfortunately he is probably right." Will groaned in frustration. "Unless I can bribe him or I don't know, tranq him like a wild animal, he isn't getting that shot."

"Well-then," Natalie started, looking quite pleased with herself. "You'll be pleased to hear that he has currently gotten his arm stuck in the vending machine on the fourth floor. You know the one that never gives you what you pay for." 

Will looked like he had just been given a gift straight from God and an evil smile started spreading across his face. "April! It's time! Get the kit!" 

April's head perked up from behind the counter, she stood up, frantically gathering the needed supplies, least they be too late and Jay actually manages to free himself. She headed over towards Will with a determined face, ignoring the confused look from Ethan who had just walked up to the group. He only became more confused when the two quickly started applying, what could be considered "war paint" to their faces.

"Ok, I feel like I've missed something important." Ethan turned towards Natalie. "What in the world are those two doing."

"Going into battle," Will answered.

"Ah huh," Ethan nodded slowly, looking more confused than before.

Taking pity on her co-worker Natalie answered, "They are going to go try to give Jay a flu shot. They do this every year, I think it's like a game between the three of them."

"And Jay doesn't want the flu shot?" Ethan asked.

"Correct."

"Then why doesn't he just leave the building?" At this point Ethan was unsure if he was ever going to understand what was happening. 

"Because his boss said he had to, but he's been avoiding Will for the past few hours until just a few minutes ago, when he got his arm stuck in a vending machine." 

"Can't run away when your arm is trapped in a vending machine," Will cackled, scaring Ethan slightly. The Halstead brothers had a weird relationship that was for sure.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about the fact that his arm is stuck inside a machine rather than the fact that you can hold him down easily?" 

April smacked Ethan on the arm as her and Will headed towards the stairs. "Don't ruin this for us." 

"Yeah Ethan, don't ruin this for us," Will mimicked. "

Ethan threw his hands up, "Sorry for trying to be an adult here."

"Being an adult is overrated," Natalie called, following after her two friends. 

Poor Jay, in the time that she had known him, food had always been his downfall. She was pretty sure last year, Will had literally laid Nutter Butters down in a line to try to lure Jay out of his hiding spot. It worked too. Everyone had stood around listening to the screams and screeches thinking it was Jay throwing a fit. That had quickly changed when Will walked out five minutes later looking like he'd just gone ten rounds with a wild animal. Jay on the other hand looked fine, other than the mark he was rubbing on his arm, and made sure to taunt his older brother about screaming like a girl. The Halstead brother's really made things entertaining. 

"Jay! Oh, Jay," Will sang loudly as he walked down the hall towards his struggling brother. "I found you!" April followed along behind him playing the Jaws theme from her phone. 

"Back up!" Jay yelled, frantically trying to free his arm. God damn Nutter Butters had betrayed him again. He watched as the spawns of Satan approached him. "Come on, Will. We can talk about this, let's just be rational." 

"Oh, I am being rational. It would be irrational to allow this opportunity to pass me by." Will smiled at his brother. "Don't worry I'll give you a band aid and make it allllll better after," he promised sweetly before narrowing his eyes. "Get him."

"Get off me, you ginger bitch!"

"Stop struggling!"

"He bit me!"

"Bite him back! Don't you dare let him go, April!" 

"This is ridiculous behavior for adults. How is this even healthy for someone with a phobia?" Ethan asked from beside Natalie, watching the struggle before them.

"Normally I'd agree, but for some reason this works for Jay. The first year I met Jay, and he had to get the flu shot, he ended up having a panic attack and passing out. This helps for some reason, maybe it feels a bit like a game?" Natalie sighed, when Ethan gave her an incredulous look. 

"Weirdos," Ethan deadpanned. "I'm going to go call the fire department, so that we can get Jay free."

"Bring a crowbar too," Natalie called after him. "Pretty sure we'll need it to pry April and Jay off each other."

"Mmhmm, I'll get right on that."

Later that evening Will and Jay were lounging on the old beat up couch Jay refused to get rid of. Both of them were sporting ice packs across their bodies, while slowly shoveling pizza into their mouths. Jay stared at his older brother with a pout until Will finally said something. 

"Stop pouting, you knew I'd win. I always do and always will." Will took a sip of his beer, smirking victoriously when Jay started glaring at him.

"No, asshole, not that. I'm upset because I went through all that and didn't even get my candy! Today was bullshit." Jay grumbled, plopping down across Will's lap. He sat up slightly to glare at Will again though. "And for the record you didn't win anything, the vending machine won. Told you the machines were going to take over one day, this is just the start."

Will laughed, ruffling Jay's hair fondly. "You can be such a kid sometimes you know that?"

"Lies, I'm the maturest person you know. Now carry me to bed, I've been assaulted and my legs don't work."

"Ah, yes, so very mature."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone had a good laugh cause the next chapter is going to be full of whump. I also promise to write from Jay perspective next time. 💜💜💜


	3. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay is always the one unlucky enough to be attacked, although this time his attackers go further than he could have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER REFERENCES RAPE!!!!! BEWARE! No it is not graphic but it definitely is the whole point of this chapter. 
> 
> Sorry it took me so long to update, this was a grueling chapter to do and I didn't want to rush (also it made me want to bash my head on phone trying to find the words). Honesty, by the end of this I was kust ready for it to be done lol. I sincerely hope everyone enjoys reading it though and if anyone wants to suggest a prompt I'm totally open for that.

Jay could feel the pressure from the edge metal table he was bent over, pressing into his skin, leaving what was sure to be a nasty bruise. The painful tug of the binding around his wrists digging. He couldn't focus on that though. He couldn't focus on anything other than the overwhelming panic that seemed to steal his breath with it's cold icy touch. A choked gasp escaped without permission when he felt hot panting on his neck coming from the large man pressing him down.

Everything slowed down as if time had decided to make Jay suffer more, to ingrain this moment in his mind; the struggle to force a single breath into his lungs, the feel of another man's hands running down his sides, tugging his pants down, the sound of laughter over powering the pounding of his heart. And just like that, in the blink of an eye, everything speeds back up, and Jay is screaming, screaming for his brother, screaming as the all consuming terror causes him to thrash blindly around, throwing his head back in a desperate attempt to dislodge the man.

He doesn't feel any pain when his head smashes into his attackers nose but he feels the hot sticky blood spray across his upper back and head. The urge to vomit is impossible to ignore as he feels bitter bile creep up his throat. Before he has a chance to expel the contents of his stomach, the man behind him grabs hold of his hair and smashes his face down. Over and over again, until everything goes black and the last thought is for this to be over before he wakes, for everything to have been a nightmare. Jay should have known he'd never be so lucky.

Jay could feel the cold from the cement ground below him, seeping into his bones. His attackers had left some time ago but he couldn't bring himself to move yet, just stared up at the ceiling above. He wasn't sure where he was even at. Some abandoned warehouse, industrial most likely, looking at all the scrap metal. It was odd that he couldn't focus on anything else other than the ceiling above him. He could hear Will whispering something about being in shock in the back of his mind.

Will.

Jay struggled to get to his feet at the thought of his brother, he'd promised they'd watch the game tonight. Will was probably worried sick and if Will worried then he'd call Voight and Voight would come find Jay and then everyone would know what happened. But nothing happened, everything was fine. He just had to get to Will, stop him from worrying. Then he'd sleep. That sounded nice right now, to be able to sleep. Maybe he could convince Will to let him sleep in his bed, like when they were kids.

With a plan in mind, Jay made sure to right his clothes and check that he had his keys. His phone had been destroyed long ago, but he still slid the broken pieces into his pocket and began to make his way home.

Time must be on the fritz tonight because next thing Jay knew, he was standing in front of his apartment building and the sun was just starting to come up. No big deal, he could call in sick. His head was killing him and his stomach hurt something fierce, so it wouldn't exactly be a lie.

Why did his head hurt again?

Jay couldn't remember.

He just needed some sleep.

Will woke up to Jay digging around in his drawers. It was dark in the bedroom due to the blackout curtains Will had put up. He would later blame that on why he didn't notice his brother's condition upon first sight.

"What are you doing," Will slurred, still half asleep. He grunted when Jay crawled across him and curled up against his side after he'd finished changing. He had been a little irritated earlier when Jay had messaged him canceling their plans, rudely too, in favor of working late. Will had thought Jay was bailing on him. "Seriously, Jay. What the hell?"

Will groaned when Jay just burrowed in further, choosing not to respond. "Fine, I guess you can sleep here. Not like I have work in a few hours or anything."

Grumbling to himself again, Will pulled the covers over Jay and settled down comfortably. He could tell that Jay had already fallen asleep, making Will smile slightly. It had been a long time since Jay had cuddled up next to him. Will gently placed a hand on Jay's head, running his fingers through his hair slowly, or at least attempting to. His fingers got stuck in a few matted clumps, making Jay whimper slightly, but still pulled back wet.

"What the hell?" Will exclaimed, sitting up and turning the bedside lamp on. Staring in horror at his blood covered hand, Will looked down at Jay, gasping at the condition he was in.

One side of Jay's face was completely swollen. His left eye was barely visible and his cheek looked oddly misshapen, possibly due to swelling but more than likely it was fractured. The blood on his face made him look like a damn murder victim. Ripping the covers off his brother's prone body, Will quickly tried to identify any more injuries.

"Jay? Wake up?" Will shook Jay's shoulder lightly, trying to rouse him. He didn't move or make a sound until Will tried to lift his shirt and it was like all hell broke loose.

Hands flailed, feet kicked and the next thing Will knew he was laying on the ground dazed. Groaning in pain, Will clutched his chest tightly, willing the pain to subside. At some point Jay had managed to shove himself into a far corner, scanning the room with wide eyes.

Will slowly stood up, holding his hands out to show he meant no harm. "Jay, it's just me. You're safe." He approached cautiously, trying to avoid startling his little brother.

Looking at the amount of blood on Jay's face he clearly had a head injury of some sort, Will was guessing it was more than just a cut, if Jay's reaction was anything to go by. He didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings or even who Will was. The disorientation didn't seem to be easing up, so Will decided to call an ambulance. There would be no way Will could manhandle Jay into a car in his current state. Placing the call, Will settled on the ground a few feet away to wait, as difficult

Minutes passed agonizingly slow, until finally Jay seemed to come around. He slowly uncurled his arms from around his knees, wincing at the movement. Another sign it was more than just a head wound. Slowly, but surely, Will slid closer from his seat on the floor.

"You with me Jay?" Will asked. The urge to panic was high but he knew that Jay needed him to be level headed. Whatever had happened was clearly traumatizing.

"I'm tired," Jay whispered, gazing around as if in a haze.

"I know buddy, but you've got a pretty bad head wound so I need you to stay awake for me. Can I come check you out?" Will asked. He closed the gap between them when Jay nodded. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I'm tired. Can we just go to sleep?" Jay asked again.

Before Will could reply, loud knocking came from the front door. Jay gasped and quickly dove for Will's arms, attempting to hide himself there.

"They came back!" Jay screeched. His eyes were blown wide with panic and nothing Will did seemed to convince him that it was the paramedics and not his attackers.

The few minutes were some of the most stressful moments of Will's life. The paramedics had to restrain Jay since they couldn't sedate him with his head wound. Will felt sick as he watched Jay suffer, stuck in whatever memory his mind conjured at the moment. It seemed to switch between the present and his time in Kandahar, which would explain how combative he was.

Sitting in the front of the ambulance Will struggled to understand what had happened. Last he knew Jay was at work. Did he get attacked by someone with a grudge on the way home, or was it just random? He opened his phone, scrolling down until he reached Voight's number, hesitating for a moment before pushing the call button.

Voight picked up after two rings, his gruff voice sounding even deeper than usual. "Any particular reason you're calling me at six in the morning, Halstead?"

"Jay came home beat to hell about thirty or so minutes ago, we're on our way to the hospital right now. He thinks he's in Afghanistan right now." Will clenched his teeth in frustration. "I don't know what happened, I figured you might have some idea."

"He was fine when he left yesterday." Will could hear Voight draw in a deep breath. "I'll meet you both at the hospital, figure out what happened when Jay is coherent."

Will glared at his phone when the line went dead, like it was the cause of all his troubles. He just wanted to know what had happened to Jay, it hurt to see him like that. Clearly trapped in his own mind, covered in God knows how many bruises and cuts, scared shitless. Will had never seen Jay look so terrified in his entire life.

The ambulance jolted to a stop and Will was out and opening the back doors before it was even in park. He noticed Jay had calmed down significantly, but was still shaking in his restraints and didn't seem to be willing to make eye contact with anyone. Will held his hand tightly as they rolled him into the ED.

He held Jay's hand as they cut away his clothing causing him to panic. He held his hand when he noticed the bruises covering his little brother's body, focusing on the finger shape imprints on his hips. He held his hand as tears started blurring his vision when he realized exactly what had happened. He held his hand through what was surely what was one of the worst moments of his brother's life, unable to do anything else but watch as the drugs they gave him slowly dulled him out.

"Will," Connor's voice rang out, pulling Will from the spiral of guilt he was going down. "We need your permission to do a rape kit. Jay can't make that decision for himself right now and by the time he can, it might be too late."

Will nodded his head, refusing to meet anyone's eye. He couldn't be there for this, he couldn't even think about the word. Standing quickly, Will pushed a few nurses aside on his way out of the room. He needed to breathe for a second, get control of himself.

"Halstead!" Groaning, Will turned around to face Voight. He could see the worry on Voight's face, even though he was clearly trying to hide it.

"They're taking him to get a few scans, see how bad the damage to his head and face is." Will's voice cracked slightly when he tried to say the rest. "Just, just go talk to Doctor Rhodes. I can't do this right now." And with that Will fled the ED, looking for some place to have a break down before he needed to have his shit together.

It wasn't fair. Jay had already been through so much pain and heart break already, to add something this massive onto all that might just destroy Jay. Will smacked himself on the head. He shouldn't count Jay out, all the trauma he had been through and come out the other side of, had made him strong, stronger than Will could ever dream of being. This event wouldn't ruin Jay Halstead. It might set him back a little, but with Will and everyone who cared about Jay, being there for him, he would recover. In time.

Will stayed by himself for a few more minutes, preparing himself mentally for what was to come. His legs shook slightly as he stood and he still felt ill but it was as good as he was gonna get. Jay had most likely already woken up, and Will didn't want him to be alone when Voight started asking questions. Maggie gently gave him a hug upon re-entering the ED.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered in his ear, hugging him tighter when she felt Will shake slightly. "We're here for both of you."

"Thank you." Will turned to Connor who was hovering nearby. "How's Jay doing?"

"He started to come around a few minutes ago, Voight is with him right now." Connor paused for a second, before starting to walk away from the group. "Why don't we step over here for a moment." Will followed behind, preparing himself for the news.

"I'll get straight to the point," Connor said, giving Will another moment to prepare himself. "Jay's got a grade three concussion, but no bleeding of the brain. He has a fractured cheek bone on the left side, a broken nose, and a rather nasty cut above his eyebrow that we stitched back together. We think that's where the majority of the blood came from, the rest is probably from one of his assailants."

Will flinched at the word assailants, realizing it implied more than one person. He decided not to voice this yet, instead waiting for Connor to continue.

"There are a few bruised ribs, nothing broken or fractured. Rope burns on his wrists, bruising around his hips and thighs, and tears." Connor stopped talking, biting his lip. He was having difficulty telling Will this.

"You don't have to say it." Connor breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you do the kit already?" Will purposely left out the word rape, it felt to painful to say right now.

"Yeah, Voight has someone coming to pick up all the evidence in a bit. I can take you to him now if you want?" Connor asked cautiously, unsure if Will would want any more details yet.

The Halstead brothers seemed to have the worst luck, especially Jay. The amount of times Jay had been admitted to the ED in the past year was extremely high in comparison to the average cop. Connor wasn't sure how Will handled the stress of dealing with what surely must be constant worry for his younger sibling. And to add this trauma on top of everything else, Connor was worried one of them, if not both, were going to snap under the pressure.

Connor watched Will walk into the room his brother currently resided, wishing he could make it easier on them. He knew at some point Dr.Charles would have to go in there for a consultation. Jay didn't seem like he was handling the assault well, and while his behavior could be due to the head injury, Connor didn't think so. He'd seen the look in Jay's eyes when he woke up.

A firm hand on his shoulder distracted him from his thoughts. Looking over, he saw Dr. Charles standing to his left. "Don't worry too much, they'll get through this." Connor nodded solemnly, still unsure.

\-------------------------

Will walked into Jay's room, spotting Voight talking in a hushed tone. The older detective was holding Jay's hand tightly in his, as they talked. It was obvious Jay was hanging onto every word Voight spoke, and Will almost felt like an intruder. Both men turned their gaze towards Will when he coughed to catch their attention without startling anyone.

"I'll be back later," Voight said to Jay before standing to leave the room, gesturing for Will to follow. Jay must have noticed his reluctance, so he waved him off with a small smile, it came off more as a grimace though.

Voight slowly shut the door to Jay's room behind them, before turning to face Will. Will could see the visible anger radiating off of him, but Will on edge. His jaw was clenched and his breathing was coming in heavy but it was the look in the older detective's eye that really unnerved Will. It was a look that promised death, promised that he would make whoever did this suffer. Will couldn't say that didn't make him happy.

"We're going to find who did this," Voight promised. "I sent Erin and Olinsky to grab Jay's clothes from last night, he said he changed when he got home."

"Why did they go after him?" Will couldn't understand why out of all people they chose Jay. Was it retaliation for something work related or was it just wrong place, wrong time?

"They said some things to Jay that we can work with." Voight looked reluctant to say more.

"So it was a personal attack on him?"

Voight laid a hand on Will's shoulder, squeezing slightly. "Not against him personally. I'm stationing some uniforms outside his door until we know more. He's safe, Will."

Will didn't say anything for a few moments, thinking about whether he was actually going to ask Voight what he really wanted to. Glancing into Jay's room, he saw his brother bruised and battered face, eyelids struggling to stay open. Scared.

"I want you to make them pay. They have to pay." Will struggled to contain himself. "They can't just go rot in a jail cell, they have to suffer like Jay did, be scared like he is."

Voight looked Will in the eyes, promising, "They will. Go be with Jay, leave the rest to us."

Will gave Voight one final look before heading back into Jay's room. The atmosphere in the room was tense, Jay refused to look at Will now that they were alone. Taking a deep breath, Will reached his hand out, slowly taking Jay's into his own.

"Jay I need you to look at me," Will whispered. Jay's eyes squeezed shut, a stray tear trailing down his face.

"I can't," Jay responded quietly.

"Why," Will asked. He squeezed Jay's hand tighter, tears coming to his eyes also.

"Because I'm ashamed," Jay admitted with a sob, finally meeting Will gaze. "Because I let them break me. I lost my mind."

"Jay," Will started. "You have nothing to be ashamed about." Leaning forward, Will rested his forehead against Jay's, careful to avoid aggravating any injuries.

"They may have beaten you and assaulted you," Jay flinched violently and tried to pull away from his brother but Will wouldn't let him. "But they didn't break you. You've gone through so much to let these pieces of shit think they won."

Jay sobbed, reaching up to hug Will. They stayed in their awkward position for a few minutes until Will wormed his way up onto the bed. Carefully rearranging his little brother until he was in a comfortable position. They both cuddled up next to each other, Will allowing Jay to cry as long as he liked. He knew that whenever Jay's head injury healed and the pain meds weren't so high, Jay would try and shut his emotions down. Try and shut himself off from everybody else. Unfortunately for Jay, he had a village of people who cared about him too much to let him destroy himself.

They laid there together, Will contemplating how he could help and Jay sleeping. April showed up, giving Will a disapproving frown until he went back to his chair instead. The juice box he got as a reward made him laugh slightly. April was good at helping people feel like things could be normal in the face of tragedy, it must be some hidden nurse secret.

Jay woke up on and off for the next couple hours, sometimes aware of what happened, other times in a complete panic. Will would calm him when that happened, whispering reassurances. He felt bad for Burgess and Roman who had to stand guard when they clearly wanted to be hunting down the people responsible. Will could relate.

He had figured there would be a steady stream of visitors to fend off but no one showed up. At first it was a relief to not have to deal with anyone but then Will started to get agitated at the lack of visitors. It wasn't until Burgess informed him that Voight had forbidden anyone from visiting so that Jay could have a chance to feel more like himself before dealing with other people, that Will actually started to calm down.

A sudden knocking at the door startled Will. When he looked up he saw Platt standing in the doorway. She waved him over quietly.

"Voight wants you to meet him at this address." She handed him a piece of paper carefully folded before turning her gaze to Jay. The motherly look on her face warmed Will's heart slightly. Jay had created such a great family for himself. "I'll stay with Jay, make sure he's not alone."

Will went to ask if they had found who had done this but Platt, sensing the question, cut him off. Giving Jay a kiss on the head, Will headed out of the hospital, only realizing when he got outside that he didn't have his car with him. A loud beep sounded from the right causing Will to look over. He could see Erin sitting in her car a few feet away, waiting for him.

"I figured you'd need a ride," Erin said as Will got into the car. They rode for a few minutes in silence until Will couldn't take it anymore.

"Did you find them? Is that where we're going?"

"Yeah," Erin answered. "How is Jay doing?"

"Not great. He woke up off and on, sometimes disoriented, sometimes not." Will responded. He was pretty sure Voight was going to give him the choice of whether or not Jay's attackers lived. At least he was hoping so, if not, he better at least get to smash their faces in. "Did they say why they did it?"

Erin was quiet for a moment before answering. "One of the men thought another cop raped his girlfriend, couldn't get to him. So he went looking, thinking 'hey all cops are friends, same thing'. Saw Jay buying some drinks from the store and just picked him. Turns out his girlfriend had just been cheating on him and lied to cover it up."

Will didn't say anything after that, just stared out the window, thinking about what you wanted to do to them. While he trusted Platt to take care of Jay, he still hoped his little brother stayed asleep until Will returned. He didn't trust any one to be able to calm Jay down like he could.

\--------------------------

Jay woke up slowly, head pounding like someone was playing the drums from the inside of his skull. He groaned, reaching up to clutch his head to ease the pain but just ended up making it worse when he touched the stitches above his eyebrow. Another hand swatted his away with a loud huff, forcing him to open his eyes. Seeing Platt instead of his brother was quite a shock. It must have shown on his face if her amused look was anything to go by.

"How are you feeling, Chuckles?" Trudy asked.

Jay could feel his face flush red with humiliation at the soft tone she used. She only did that when someone she cared for had been hurt and it just reminded Jay of exactly why he was currently laid up in the hospital.

"Fine," Jay ground out. His gaze flickered around the room, frantically searching for Will to save him from this conversation.

"Your brother will be back soon," Trudy said, knowing all too well, Jay would be looking for him. The two where inseparable.

"Does everyone know?" Jay asked in a whisper. He could vaguely hear the heart monitor's beeping get faster in the background.

"No one is judging you, Jay. You didn't have any control over what happened to you." Trudy adjusted herself in her seat so that she was closer than before. "This doesn't make you any less of a man."

Jay's lip curled up in a sudden burst of anger and then dread. Platt had no idea what she was talking about. He was pathetic and weak, and now everyone knew. His hands clenched tight and it started to get harder to breathe until he was practically panting. Fighting off the hands that seemed to appear out of nowhere, grabbing at him, Jay's mind was sent back to the previous night.

"You've got to calm down, Jay!" Connor yelled, over Jay's screaming.

Platt had backed up when the monitors started going off and was now standing in the corner with a hand over her mouth. The entire time she'd known the youngest Halstead, she'd never seen him like this. Panicked, and practically howling for his brother. If Jay had been this mindset the entire time, it was likely Will would be looking for more than just a beating in return. The case was too high profile for the offenders to just go missing the same time Will left the hospital. God, how she wished they could just let them rot in a shallow grave. Slipping out of the room unnoticed, Trudy went to get a coffee from the cafeteria. She sent Voight a heads up on Will's possible state of mind.

Meanwhile, Connor was trying to calm Jay down without having to give him a sedative. "Jay you're at Chicago Med, you're safe I promise. I need you to calm down though, can you do that for me? Just breathe with me."

Jay gasped in desperate breaths, trying to mimic Connor. He clutched at the bed with both hands, keeping eye contact with Connor the whole time, until he calmed down enough to breathe normally.

"Where's Will?" Jay asked quietly.

"He went to get some more comfortable clothes and a better blanket for you," Connor replied. He subtly shooed the nurses before taking a seat in the chair next to Jay. "Jay I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now but I think you need to talk to someone, someone like Dr.Charles."

Jay took a few deep breaths, picking at the fabric of his blanket. "I know, the department will make me do that before I can return to active duty."

"I mean actually talk to someone, not just fake it until so you can return to work faster." Connor leaned in slightly. "Jay you've been through trauma after trauma after trauma in your life, a person can't just bounce back after all that. It's ok to ask for help, to get help for yourself because Jay you're not ok, but you can be."

"Can we talk about this when Will gets back? I'm tired," Jay said quietly.

"Yeah, I'll be back to check on you later." Connor got up to leave the room, stopping when Jay said his name. "Yeah?"

"I don't want to see anyone unless it's Will."

"Ok," Connor said with a nod, giving Jay a small smile at the thanks he got.

\--------------------

Will stood in the empty lot on the outside of town, watching as Voight dragged two men out of the back of black van. He forced them to kneel on the ground, leaving Olinksy to stand guard in case they tried to make a run for it. Not that they would get very far, being bound like they were.

"Let me set some ground rules," Voight started. "You get five minutes with them, do what you want, so long as they're still breathing I don't care."

The two locked eyes, Will inhaling deeply before glancing at the two men in fury. "They deserve to die. They didn't even know Jay, they had no reason to make him suffer like that."

"I get your anger, Will. I do, but you're not a killer and neither is your brother." Voight nudged Will towards the two men. "Let's get this over with so you can get back to Jay, I'm sure he's wondering where you are."

Five minutes turns out to not be nearly enough time for Will before Voight and Erin are pulling him back. Will struggled for a minute to get back at them before giving up and screaming obscenities at them as he was dragged back to the vehicle. They didn't even seem to feel sorry for what they did, and it was driving Will crazy.

"You must be Will," one of the men shouted. "Your pretty boy cop screamed and cried for a Will to save him, too bad, you're just as pathetic as him. I'm not even sure he's actually a cop."

"You son of bitch!" Will screamed in anger, trying to get out of the car. Erin yanked him back by his hair. "He doesn't even care!" Will screamed at Voight, begging him to let Will have another go at them, at least that one guy.

Voight turned towards the man, a smirk on his face. "You're going to regret saying that. Erin, get Halstead back to the hospital." He shut the door on Will, turning back and walked towards the two men. Will didn't have a chance to see what he would do before Erin had peeled out of the lot.

The drive was uncomfortably quiet, both Erin and Will lost in their own thoughts. They pulled up to the hospital slowly, Will noticing how late it was. It felt like only a few hours had passed since Jay was brought in, rather than almost a full day.

"Can I see, Jay?" Erin asked. "I know Voight said to give him some time before visiting but I just need to see he's ok with my own eyes, please Will."

Will could see the desperation in her eyes and he could understand where she was coming from. At the same time though, he wasn't sure Jay was ready to see anyone yet. Although he'd seemed fine when Voight was there, Will wasn't sure how he'd dealt with Platt. Adding Erin to the mix might do more harm than good. Biting his lip, Will continued to think for a second.

"Yeah, if he is ok with visitors." Erin nodded her thanks, following him into the hospital.

The last thing Will expected was to be surrounded by both Platt and Rhodes. They both were shouting over one another making impossible to tell what the other was saying. Assuming the worst Will quickly panicked, thinking something had happened to Jay.

"Everybody calm down!" Erin yelled, taking control of the situation. "One at a time."

"He won't let anyone see Jay." Platt glared at Connor like he was a demon.

"Because he said no visitors except for Will," Connor retorted, before rounding on Will. "Speaking of you, where the hell have you been?"

"Busy." Was Will's only response, as he pushed past everyone. "Sorry, Erin, you can try tomorrow." He could barely hear her disappointed sigh over Platt and Connor arguing again.

Walking back to Jay's room, Will noticed the blood on his knuckles. He made a short detour to rinse the blood off before anyone noticed. Jay was half asleep when Will walked in, quickly trying to sit up.

"Hey, don't try and get up," Will whispered. He felt an ache in his chest looking at Jay's still slightly swollen face, knowing that he wasn't able to hurt those men the same way.

"Connor said you were bringing me some clothes, where are they?" Jay asked with a slight slur. They must have raised his dose of pain meds.

"Sorry, I left it with Erin when Platt and Connor ambushed me." Will smiled at the chuckle that had gotten from Jay. "You feeling any better?"

Jay shrugged, "Connor gave me a higher dosage of pain meds a bit ago. He's a good friend."

"Yeah, he is," Will responded, making himself comfortable in the chair next to Jay's bed. "You should get some sleep, your body is still healing." He could tell Jay was fighting sleep, as his eyelids kept fluttering shut for a moment before jerking open.

"I can't," Jay whispered.

"Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

Jay's face flushed red for a moment. He shyly glanced over at his big brother. "Could you get up here like earlier?"

"April is going to be mad when she finds out later, but I guess you're worth it," Will said smiling softly before nudging Jay over, so he could crawl up into the bed with him. Soon both of them were settled where Jay was quite comfortable and Will not so much, not that Will minded. Carefully running a hand through his baby brother's hair, Will started humming a song their mother used to sing to them when they were sick. It was an old Gaelic lullaby, Will could never remember the words but Jay always did. He had always been such a mama's boy growing up.

"I miss her." Jay whispered, quietly drifting off to sleep. "Love you, Will."

"Love you too." Will replied, starting to hum softly again. He could see Maggie and April giving him a face about being in the bed with Jay but they'd have to physically pry him away and they knew that. Wasn't worth the trouble when Will would just do it again, he was stubborn like that.

Smiling down at Jay, Will was forever grateful that those men hadn't killed his little brother. As long as Jay was still breathing, Will and would be there for him. To make it all better, just like he always promised.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope that everyone liked this! 💜💜💜


End file.
